Independence Party of FloridaIPFL History
(editor's note: The Independence Party of Florida's history will be expanded shortly, following addition of commentary from founding members.)
In the summer of 1999, in Riverview, Florida, several friends got together and formed an ad-hoc committee to study the merits of forming a new political party in Florida. This committee became The Independence Party of Florida. It started with eight registered members.
Slowly, with no paid advertising, no bank account, and no private funding, the party grew from 5,018 members in the 2002 general election, to 16,838 members in the 2004 general election, to 39,791 members in the 2006 general election.
In 2006, the party revamped its communications infrastructure. After that, the Florida DOE statistics show that the party grew to 63,415 members in the 2008 general election.
In 2010, the executive committee decided we had grown large enough to start more aggressive activity. The party is fielding its first candidate for governor, Chairman Peter Allen.